This invention relates generally to a multi-compartment storage enclosure for installation behind the rear seat in the rear deck space of a station wagon, minivan or sport utility vehicle.
Storage space in sport utility vehicles, minivans and station wagons is usually limited to rear seat placement or rear deck placement. There is little or no enclosed space or trunk space available for temporary storage of packages or organizing small items such as sports equipment, picnic items and the like. Similarly, there is little or no space for permanent storage of emergency items, such as road flares, jumper cables, tools and the like. The rear seat of a station wagon, for instance, generally folds over to expand the rear deck space. Minivans and sport utility vehicles have rear doors that are vertically hinged on opposite sides and swing outwardly to provide access to a small rear deck space. Alternatively, they may have horizontally hinged doors that swing upward to open. When articles are placed in the open on the rear deck space, they are vulnerable to theft as the articles are in plain view through the windows. Additionally, unless the stored articles are packed tightly, they will shift during transit, possibly causing damage and may become scattered or overturned.
Various storage enclosures have been proposed for organizing rear spaces within minivans, sport utility vehicles, station wagons and the like. One common organizing technique is to provide vertical partitions to keep articles from moving about. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,439 shows a truck cargo organizer, consisting of adjustable partitions that are open at the top and bottom. The purpose of that organizer is to provide adjustable areas within the truck bed to separate a load into smaller portions to keep the load from shifting during travel. The load is visible and the organizer provides no security for the load.
Another common solution is to provide a storage enclosure with pull-out drawers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,731 is a storage unit using locking drawers to store and organize items, usually tools, on a truck bed. The top of the unit substitutes for the floor of the truck bed and access to the drawers is through the open tail gate of the truck. The construction of that storage unit is intended for heavy tools and construction equipment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,257 discloses a rear seat-mounted organizer for van-type vehicles. The organizer is attached to the back of the rear seat in a minivan and folds against the seat when not in use. That organizer uses an extendable tubular frame for limiting horizontal movement of paper shopping bags during transit.